MTALA

Middle Tennesseee Association of Legal Administrators

The history of MTALA

About Us

In the spring of 1979, a small group of law firm leaders in Nashville, Tennessee met to discuss law firm salaries and benefits. A key member of that meeting was Doug Berry who stated that he had belonged to a local ALA chapter in Dallas, Texas. The idea that Doug planted grew and in November of that same year eight individuals held their first organization meeting to form the MTALA chapter. The National Association of Legal Administrators reviewed and approved the application and Charter, and on April 17, 1980, MTALA was officially chartered at a special meeting nearly one year after that first initial meeting.

Our Partners

The members of MTALA are grateful for the services and support provided by our business partners. The Middle Tennessee Business Partner Program provides members with access to better educational programs locally, regionally and nationally than would be possible with an annual dues based program.

What we do for you

Our Mission

​The Association of Legal Administrators, ALA, is the undisputed leader for the business of law, focused on the delivery of cutting-edge management and leadership products and services to the global legal community.

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​We identify and provide solutions to the most strategic and operational challenges our members and customers face today, while we prepare them for the opportunities and challenges of tomorrow.

Since the Chapter's founding in 1980, the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators has been a hub for career building for many legal management professionals in the area. That career building has taken on many forms over the last several decades. We are fortunate enough to have seen members be able to start, grow and even end their careers in the legal management industry through the value the chapter and the international organization has brought to them.

Nashville and Middle Tennessee law firms have benefited greatly from the management education, resources and networking opportunities our members make and find in this community. Our organization is like few others in the professional industry. The world of law firm management can be pretty isolating. Even if we attain the highest level of success within our organizations, be they law firms, corporations, legal departments, government agencies and other organizations providing services to the legal industry, some of us will never be viewed or respected for our contributions. So many times those contributions rise above, and in many cases exceed, those of the very owners or leaders of our organizations.

We are the people who give our all to make our organizations successful for all in it; to solve the problems generated each and every day regardless of what may be required, how long it may take, how unpopular our decisions may be, how damaging to our own personal careers or how much more isolated they may make us feel. We bring total servant leadership to our organizations...for the good of the whole. We are selfless, loyal and hard working. We have high emotional and intellectual intelligence. We are patient, flexible and adaptable. We are strategic...for the good of the whole! We do not promote ourselves to the exclusion of others; instead, we revel in growing our teams and making them stronger each and every day. When one of our coworkers grieves, hurts, needs support, fails, we are there to help. We walk the extra mile, we lift up, we promote, we celebrate, we right wrongs, we forge futures, we chart career (and sometimes life) choices, we share. We care. We make mistakes, we fail, we get up and push forward.

ALA is our relief, our fountain of energy, our reservoir for innovation, our knowledge management system, our platform for respect, our management universities, our stage for failure. Within our group, we are safe. We can relate and be ourselves, we can laugh hysterically, we can cry, we can be afraid. We dance, we celebrate. It's never about who is shooting the ball, it is about who gets the ball to them...who can make the assist...for the good of the whole! We know that the game is scored on the contributions of all...not a given player. Quarterbacks cannot win without receivers, receivers cannot score without offensive lineman, quarterbacks cannot throw the ball without a center. The roles are many in legal management and ALA welcomes managers of all sorts to the team. Diversity and inclusion help us to bring our best teams to the game; not only diversity and inclusion in the forms in which we typically think of them, but improvements brought to any organization or effort through diverse and inclusive ways of thinking.

This is who we are. Middle Tennessee ALA. The Association of Legal Administrators. We are passionate about our organizations and how they are helping legal management professionals lead adoption of the many changes the legal industry is facing. Join us!

Teresa J. Walker

Chief Operating Officer

Waller, Lansden, Dortch & Davis, LLP

Middle Tennessee Associationof Legal Administrators

In the spring of 1979, a small group of law firm leaders in Nashville, Tennessee met to discuss law firm salaries and benefits. The ideas planted grew and that same year eight individuals held their first organization meeting to form the MTALA chapter. The National Association of Legal Administrators reviewed and approved the application and Charter, and on April 17, 1980, MTALA was officially chartered at a special meeting nearly one year after that first initial meeting.

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On behalf of The Middle Tennessee Association of Legal Administrators I would like to thank our business partner NSG for the design, and development of this website. We are very appreciative of the efforts, talent, and time you devoted to this project.
Vickie Bates, President 2016